Anchoring means for decoys



Deco M 1935: w. HOBERG ANCHORING MEANS FOR DECOYS Filed May 2, 1933Patented Dec. 10, 1935 UNITED STATES ANCHORING MEANS FOR DECOYS WilliamHoberg, Green Bay, Wis.

Application May 2, 1933, Serial No. 669,038

1'7 Claims.

This invention relates to water anchors of the type used to moorfloating objects, and has particular reference to a construction suitedfor use in connection with duck decoys and the like.

The essential objects of the invention are the provision of aconstruction of compact form which will not be readily dislodged orallow drifting of the moored object and means associated with the anchorfor carrying the attaching line. In its application as a decoy anchor,provision is also made whereby the anchor may be conveniently secured tothe decoy for transportation purposes.

In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated one embodiment of myinvention incorporating novel features of construction and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view;

Fig. 2 is a side view particularly illustrating the position of myanchor as the attaching line is played out therefrom;

Fig. 3 shows the manner in which my anchor may be associated with theneck of a decoy;

Fig. 4 illustrates my anchor in operative position; and,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of a modification.

The anchor proper will be formed of lead or iron, as conventionally, andmade squat and substantially of cone shape. Whereas, however, the usualmushroom construction includes a spherical rounded undersurface whichwill cause the anchor to seat generally upright in the soft bed underwater, I propose to make my anchor ill with an undersurface which israther squat and cone-shaped, providing a peripheral edge I I at itsupper extremity. The purpose in this connection is to cause the anchorto tip as shown in Figure 4, so that the edge portion II will exercise agripping engagement with the water bed, thus to prevent the anchor fromsliding along and allowing drifting of the object moored thereby. Tofurther prevent side slip of the anchor, its undersurface can be'made ofirregular contour comprising a plurality of circumferential areasbetween its top and bottom of different slope. An outstandingcircumferential rib I2 may be included. Such a surface, particularlywhen the anchor is on a soft bed, will tend to resist lateral movementand, because of the inclined nature of the surface, the peripheral edgewill be brought into a position where it will tend to dig into the bedwhen the floating object moored by the anchor tends to drift.

When used in association with decoys, anchors are usually securedthereto by an attaching line which fastens to a screw-eye or the like onthe underside of the decoy so that the attaching line will not appearabove the surface of the water. Since the depth of water varies soconsiderably it is essential that provision be made whereby the lengthof the line attaching the decoy to the an- PATENT OFFICE chor can bevaried. To accomplish this purpose I propose to provide a reel inassociation with the anchor upon which the line may be wound when theanchor is not in use and from which it may readily be played out merelyby dropping the an- 5 chor and decoy into the water. As soon as theanchor reaches the bottom the playing out of the line will stop and anysurplus line will remain conveniently in position on the reel. Toprevent accidental further unwinding of the line, means is providedwhereby after the desired length of line has once been determined theline may be secured.

Associated with the upper side of the anchor is a framework preferablycomprising stiff but resilient wire, the lower ends of which may beembedded in the anchor element ll]. Such framework is formed to provideportions serving difierent functions as will be described. Adjacent theanchor the wire frame is formed with spaced parallel portions I3 whichwill provide a reelupon which the attaching line I4 may be wound asshown in Figures 2 and 4. While it is not essential that the reelportion of the frame be located immediately adjacent the upper surfaceof the anchor, this is desirable as it will provide a side for the reel.2

The frame also provides an enlarged open portion I5 which, as shown inthe drawing, may be located adjacent the reel portion, the two sides Tof the wire being bent outwardly beyond the reel portion I3 as shown.Preferably, the portions I6 incline away from the reel so as to permitthe ready unwinding of the line from the reel in the manner shown inFigure 2. The enlarged loop portion l5 of the frame is completed bybending the wire sides inwardly at I8. The purpose of the enlarged loopis to enable the anchor to be secured to a decoy by slipping the sameover the neck ll of the decoy as illustrated in Figure 3. The loop I5will be formed of such size and shape as to readily slip over the neckof the decoy. Preferably, and as shown, it will be of elongatedcharacter so that it may be slipped over the neck and then turnedthrough ninety degrees to bring the narrower portions of the loop intoresilient clamping engagement. In Figure 3 the position of the anchorwhen the loop is slipped over the neck of the decoy is illustrated indotted lines. By rotation the narrower portions of the loops I 6 and I8are then brought into clamping engagement with the neck I! of the decoywhich is conventionally of elongated character.

In the construction shown the line will not tend to play out from thereel after the anchor has once assumed the position on the bottom shownin Figure 4, since the side portions I6 of the loop I5 will tend to snagthe line. However, it is desirable that the attaching line engage theframe at some distance above the anchor Misc 60 that any tendency of thedecoy to drift will tend to cause the edge of the anchor to dig morefirmly into the bottom. To this end the wire frame is twisted into asmall loop l9. This will provide a point for securing the extremity ofthe line in fixed position. When all of the line is unwound from thereel and in use, the line will extend directly upwardly through thewater from the loop l9. Again, where only part of the line is unwoundfrom the reel and in use, the line extending upwardly from the reel maybe snagged by a half-hitch around the loop, as shown in Figure 4. Bythisarrangement the line is positively held against accidental unwindingfrom the reel and the connection between the decoy and the anchor is.sufliciently :far removed from the anchor :as' to cause a digging inaction of the anchor edge when the decoy moves laterally.

Instead of snagging the line from the reel at the connection between theloops and 19 as shown in Fig. 4, the 'loop is may be modified to servethe same purpose and enable the line to the decoy to be quickly adjustedto any desired length. Thus as shown in Fig. 5, :the loop 21 may beprovided with a depending tongue 22, about which a loop or knot in theline may be readily formed and removed at will.

It will be understood that the embodiment of my invention herein shownand described is merely illustrative and that the invention is capableof a considerable range of modification, equivalency and rearrangementof 'partswithout departing from the scope thereof. I therefore do notintend to be limited in the practice of my invention further than may berequired by the appended claims. a I

I claim: 1. An anchor having .a sloping undersurface and being ofgreater thickness at its center than at its edge portion, theundersurface being divided into a, series of successive concentricallyarranged bands wherein one band is angularly arranged to the next bandso as to provide an irregular contour and resist lateral movement of theanchor over a softsurface.

2. An anchor having its sloping undersurface provided with continuouscircumferentially extending projections adapted to resist lateralmovement of the anchor over a soft surface;

3. An anchor having a sloping undersurface and being of greaterthickness at its center than at its edge portion, 'saidanchor having anundersurface provided with one or more circumferentially extending ribsadapted to-exercise gripping engagement witha soft surface.

4. An anchor having a squat cone-shaped undersurface provided with oneor more circumferentially extending ribs adapted to exercise a grippingengagement with asoft surface.

"5. An anchor having a squat generally coneshaped undersurface ofgradual slope, said undersurface having circumferentially extendingcontinuous portions 'of varyingslope between its upper and lower limitto provide :an irregular contour which will resist lateral slidingmovement of the undersurface over a soft surface.

6. An anchor presenting 'a'flat' upper surface and a tapering'undersurface and having line attaching means secured to its upper sideproviding a reel upon which surplus line can be supported and includingline engaging means adapted to prevent unwinding of line from the reel.

'7. An anchor presenting a flat upper surface and a taperingundersurface, and having line attaching means secured to its upper sidecomprising an upstanding wire frame providing a reel upon which line canbe wound.

8. An anchor presenting a fiat upper surface and a taperingundersurface, and having line attaching means secured to its upper sidecomprising an upstanding wire frame, said wire frame providing a reelupon which line can be wound and having a line engaging loop at itsupper end.

9.. .An anchor .for decoys including an anchoring portion having anupstanding'frame extending upwardly .from its upper side adapted toslide over and engage the neck portion of the decoy.

10. An anchor for decoys including an anchoring portion having anupstanding resilient wire frame extending upwardly from its upper sideadapted to slide over and resiliently engage the neck portion of thedecoy.

11. An anchor for decoys including an anchoring portion having anupstanding resilient wire frame extending upwardly from its upper side,said frame having an enlarged portion adapted to slide over and engagethe neck of the decoy.

12. An anchor for decoys having an upstanding resilientwire loopconnected with its upper surface, said loop being elongated to allow thesame to be freely slipped over the neck of the decoy and adapted to beturned when in position so that the narrower portions of the loopwillresiliently engage the decoy and secure the anchor in associationtherewith.

13. An anchor for decoys having line engaging means secured to its upperside, said means including a reel upon which line may be wound and anenlarged wireloop adapted to slide over 7 and engage the neck of thedecoy.

1.4. An anchor for decoys having an upstanding wire frame providing areel upon which an attaching line may be wound and having an enlargedportion'in' the form of a loop adapted to slip over the neck of thedecoy.

15. An anchor for decoys having an upstanding wire frame providing areel upon which an attaching line may be wound and having an enlargedportion in the form of a loop adapted to slip over the neck of thedecoy, and a small loopformed at the upper end of the wire frameconstituting line engaging means.

16. An anchorfor decoys having an upstanding wire frame secured to itsupper surface, said undersurface is divided into successive concentriczones, the'inclination in one zone differing from thatin'the next zone.

WILLIAM HOBERG.

